What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

Insane… better carry some spare shafts and cvs

 

That is a lot for daily driver. But for many of us, we've been flirting with 6K for a while now when we are loaded up for a 2 week adventure.

The rear axles are a little vulnerable at that weight but the fronts should be fine.

 

These axles will take a lot of abuse.

The rear axle in my old Hilux came out of a 2001 Tacoma.

 

I've bent two of them.

 

I guess I've been lucky

 

Or I unlucky.

 

Or

 

you DD at this weight without being loaded, that's insane. Did you box inner and plated the outer rear frame for strength?

 

I always carry spare driveline, CVs, LBJs, OTREs etc. It's actually included in the 5980.

 

finally… a proper definition of irony.

 

Rear frame is boxed and also has reinforcement plates on the outside. Also spindles are gusseted and I have @eimkeith plates on top of the front shock mounts.


My "DD" weight isn't exactly "without being loaded." My DD weight being 5980 includes A LOT more of my load out than most people.

The 5980 includes:
Spare parts... rear section of driveline, spare CV axles, Spare LBJs, OTREs, and a medium ammo box of small spares like spark plugs/wires, lug nuts, etc, etc, etc.
Recovery gear... static straps, snatch straps, tree savers, rope, ratchet straps, bow shackles, snatch blocks, etc.
Fluids... Gallon antifreeze, quart of brake fluid, ATF, Oil, etc
Tools... essentially everything you need to do pretty much anything you need to do to our truck aside from a specific specialty tool. Along with Milwaukee mini impact, ratchet wrench, etc. (I even carry a torque wrench) Also a bag of electrical, with OBDII scanner, test light, spare fuses.
I also carry the ARB 50 quart refrigerator, both my 5 pound propane tanks daily (and it's part of that weight)


The only things I need to "load" to go out is 1 - 50 quart tote, and 1 - 20 quart tote with actual camp supplies (camp stove, cookware etc), 1 - 30 quart cooler with drinks, food, pillows, a backpack for each of us (me and wife) with clothes... and 5 to 15 gallons of fuel/water (typically 5 gal of water, but sometimes we'll take 10 of water 5 of fuel, depending on what we're doing)


The reason I keep the truck loaded is we go out quite a bit. Whether it be to camp or to day trip, we go out on average more than every other weekend. I keep everything in it because it's easier to not forget things, it takes less effort to get ready, it's easier to pack if everything has a place and stays in that place.

 

Yeah I thought my Tacoma was getting porky at 4500. I also love small light wheeling rigs…I love what Tim Hardy with his zuk and Brennan Metcalf with his flatty are doing by keeping the rigs light with creative ways to pack everything they need without going full overlander.

I get the having everything ready to go so you can spontaneously hit the road without a ton of effort. I can also appreciate being able to be independent off the grid out west for a week at a time...That just doesn't exist east of the Mississippi. At the same time, loading up a Tacoma to probably 6500 lbs seems like a lot for the platform...a buddy with a caged 80 on 40's comes in at 6460 with a spare 40 with wheel, full of fuel, 2 people and camp gear for 10 days. The 80 handles it fine but the Tacoma platform definitely has boundaries with things like bending housings, cracking bed, cracking coil buckets, etc when you get heavy and run some miles offroad. Either jumping up to an 80 or lightening up your loadout would probably serve you well.

At the same time, I realize I'm the pot calling the kettle black since I haul in a 40' toyhauler that grosses around 26k with all of my creature comforts at camp . I've driven the Tacoma and camped out of it recently but for out east where you have a base camp, it doesn't make a ton of sense to load it down with stuff when the tow rig is an entire order of magnitude nicer to drive than the Tacoma loaded with gear.

 

Yeah, there is some of that too.

 

I think the real answer is you don't need nearly as much shit as you think you need.

I'm living out of my truck this summer and packed light, and wish I had packed even lighter in a few areas.

Keep it simple. Learned that the hard way with my 1st gen.

 

I've never needed the fire extinguisher in my truck... and I do keep it simple. It all stays in the truck, so I don't have to pack, unpack it

 

Thanks for the thorough response.
After doing some more reading and researching, I came across your posts that mentioned the Napa Eclipse calipers are the ones that will work with the soft line due to the machined surface.
Even though the Napa stores don't carry them anymore, I was still able to get it mailed to me.

If I encounter issues down the line, I'll swap to the hardlines.

 

Imagine how much more fun it would be with a supercharger

 

I kept my tube work simple to keep it light. I’ve never weighed mine but my guess is around or less than 5k on 40s with a full spare and enough spares and tools to get off the trail. 6k is absurd and would have been to much for my last tow rig to handle for sure. 6k is approaching what my new weighs lol.

Brennan’s packing and bags and way he does things is where I got a lot of ideas for mine. Make everything so you can easily get at any auto parts store and split carrying spares with your buddy. Cuts down on a lot of weight

 

Yes, I have been watching. But if I do it, it will have to be properly fueled.

 

Just for reference… my buddy, that was with me, in a bone stock 2001 double cab. No gear, nothing in the bed, and on 265/70R17 weighed in at 4350 pounds.



The difference in your tires alone would put his truck at 4500 pounds. Your tires weigh around 30 pounds a piece more than his do x5. Your bumper/winch is minimum 100 pounds more than his (stock) now he'd be at 4600 pounds. Then you have the added weight of your suspension over stock... the added weight of a solid axle over the IFS diff and CVs... add in belly skids, and sliders

Granted... you take a couple hundred pounds off for the Xtra cab vs Double cab

You're still pushing 5k unloaded